Spring 2013 London Fashion Week: Mulberry

– By Sarah-Leigh Wade –

This season Mulberry’s Creative Director Emma Hill chose the brand’s own rich heritage as inspiration. All the signatures were there – butter-soft leather, great accessories and some must-have outerwear. The venue for the show, London’s Claridges, was turned in to an English country garden, complete with astroturf covering the carpets and candy coloured gnomes and fresh roses decorating the scene. The theme continued on to the runway, a quintessentially British mood taking over with just a few seventies references and subtle androgyny seeping through.

A tonal base palette of tan, burnt gold, white and navy combined with complementary accents of mint and tangerine. Of the former, tan leather capes and flares mixed with gold separates, overlaid with a simple floral pattern, seen expanded and micro, embossed and printed on to outerwear and encompassed in to knits. A curious little lizard print was also interwoven, matching the creatures that sat in the roses on set.

–

Capes and A-line shapes were a must for coats and jackets, seen in soft cream with large buttons in the now familiar flower shape, or mint bouclé with oversized biker jacket-style lapels. Of course, the key to the Mulberry girl is to be effortlessly chic and understated and so flirty halterneck dresses were styled with outsize biker jackets, sometimes in matching printed fabrics to create covetable ensembles.

–

As with every season, quirky details were cleverly mixed in with sophisticated silhouettes – intricately pleated sleeves on a collarless blouse, wispy layers of differently proportioned prints on a maxi skirt and a perfectly cut white tuxedo except the trousers were leather with giant pockets. We also got an eagerly anticipated glimpse at the newest addition to Mulberry’s line in bags – the Willow, a versatile clutch-come-tote.

–

–

Based just outside London, Sarah-Leigh Wade is an editor and brand consultant working with trend forecasting organisations and international retailers, specialising in digital media. Sarah-Leigh launched her popular eponymous blog Sarah-LeighsStyleFiles.com in 2009 and is an advocate of emerging talent, vintage fashion and the arts. You can follow her on Twitter @SarahLeighW

Based just outside London, Sarah-Leigh Wade-Bunting is an editor and brand consultant working with trend forecasting organisations and international retailers, specialising in digital media. Sarah-Leigh launched her popular eponymous blog Sarah-LeighsStyleFiles.com in 2009 and is an advocate of emerging talent, vintage fashion and the arts. You can follow her on Twitter @sarah_leigh_b